TIPPERARY INTERMEDIATE TEAM
Markievicz Park, Sligo was the venue for the sixth round game in the Tesco Homegrown National Football League for Tipperary Ladies Football. The start time was brought forward by a five minutes but this did not deter both teams and the scoring commenced from the throw in with Sligo's Katie Walsh getting the first point of the game. Gillian O'Brien quickly replied with a Tipperary point and Sarah Ryan, Tipperary put the team in the lead for the only time of the game in the fourth minute. Katie Walsh, Sligo levelled the game in the fifth minute and in the following minute she gave Sligo the lead when she pointed a free. In the seventh minute Tipperary's Amy Jordan had her goal keeping skills in question when she blocked a goal by Elaine O'Reilly by putting it over the bar for a point.  Sligo added a further four points to their score line before Emma Hansberry added a goal just as the game entered the next quarter. Sligo's purple patch continued with a further goal and four points, the last point coming from a hand pass. The final score of the half was a point by Elaine Butler, Tipperary.  Sligo 3-11 Tipperary 1-2

From the throw in of the second half scoring again started furiously with Sligo getting two quick points to Gillian O'Brien's single point in the first two minutes of the half. However, this would not continue and it was the eighth minute before Sarah Reynolds, Sligo scored a point. Newly substituted, Karen Maloney got Sligo's next point in eleventh minute and as the game was about to enter the final quarter she scored a goal to extend the deficit further. Both teams had substituted players and going into the final quarter of the game it became a more balanced affair. The ball flowed free from end to end which allowed both teams and better chance to get their scores. Tipperary's Gillian O'Brien added three points to their score line while Sligo also added a further three points. Sligo 4-18 Tipperary 1-6

Tipperary team:- Amy Jordan (Thurles Gaels); Hazel Shanahan (Moyle Rovers), Laura Dillon (Ardfinnan), Sinead Delahunty (Foxrock/Cabinteely); Anne O'Dwyer (Cappawhite), Emma Buckley (Cahir), Roisin McGrath (Moyle Rovers); Bernie Ryan (Cappawhite), Breda Feeney (Fermoy); Sarah Ryan (Clonmel Commercials), Aoife Ryan (Cappawhite), Lauren Fitzpatrick (Ardfinnan); Elaine Butler (Moyle Rovers), Gillian O'Brien (Moyle Rovers), Aimee Pollard (Fethard).
Scorers:- Gillian O'Brien 0-5 (2 frees), Sarah Ryan 1-0, Elaine Butler 0-1
Subs:- Fiona Short (Upperchurch) for Lauren Fitzpatrick, Aine Lyons (Slievenamon) for Gemma O'Dwyer, Fiona Fennelly (Mullinahone) for Hazel Shanahan, Aisling Foley (Mullinahone) for Elaine Butler

TIPPERARY MINOR TEAM
By Declan O'Shea, Asst PRO
Any championship football match involving a trip to the Kingdom would be a daunting task at the best of times. This Tipperary team however travelled more in expectation than hope and were determined to begin the 2015 championship with a win. This team contained no less than eleven players that had backboned last year's Minor 'B' All Ireland success and were by now experienced campaigners at juvenile level. The panel also had a number of players from last year's under sixteen team that had been victorious in the Under 16 2014 All Ireland. Strength in depth it seemed at the onset of this year's championships. Tipperary would have to hit the field running however as no Kerry team take kindly to defeat on home soil.

Conditions remained dry in Firies GAA, Co. Kerry but a very strong breeze proved to be a factor throughout the game. From the throw in Kerry won possession and for the next five minutes attacked the Tipperary goal. Two points were their reward in the third and fifth minutes and Tipperary were finding it hard to settle on the ball. From here on in though Tipperary found their rhythm and moved through the gears with Aoibhe O'Shea pointing in the sixth minute. The Tipperary scores now came thick and fast and a further three goals and eleven points followed without reply from the Kerry girls who had no answer to the Tipperary onslaught. Aoibhe O'Shea (0-5), Roisin Howard (1-2), Aishling Moloney (1-3), Orla O'Dwyer (1-1) and Everena Everard (0-1) all contributed to the half time score line of Tipperary 3-12 to Kerry 0-2. Kerry had their chances also but Tipperary goalkeeper Emer McCarthy had made three fine saves (two from penalties) further frustrating the Kerry ladies. Strangely Kerry had won the toss but had opted to play against the wind in the first half. They now had a huge mountain to climb in the second half. Half time score Tipperary 3-12 Kerry 0-2.

The second half resumed with Tipperary adding a further three points without reply from Everard, O'Shea and O'Dwyer before the Kerry girls began putting some good passages together. They managed a goal and three points themselves as Tipperary lost their shape somewhat with the game entering the final ten minutes. Play was stopped for some minutes when Tipperary's powerful defender and number 5 Grainne Condon received an elbow to the face and was forced to leave the game. The Tipperary management now made substitutions with Megan Shanahan replacing Aoibhe O'Shea, Shania Dowling for Grainne Condon, Sarah McKevitt for Orla O'Dwyer, Miriam Campion for Niamh Treacy, Eimear Loughman for Evrena Everard and Kate Davey for Caoimhe Condon. For the remainder of the game the two teams traded a further three points apiece to leave the full time score Tipperary 3-18 Kerry 1-07. Tipperary had two players sin binned for persistent fouling as time ran out and this is something that will have to be addressed against stronger opposition in the near future. Tipperary were the stronger on the day in all positions but in truth this Kerry team are a team in transition so too much should not be read into Saturday's result. More difficult challenges lie ahead but this young Tipperary team can certainly face these with no little confidence. Full time score - Tipperary 3-18 Kerry 1-7.

Tipperary will now face Waterford on Wednesday, April 8th at a venue to be decided, check www.tipperaryladiesfootball.ie for fixture details.

Tipperary team:- Emer McCarthy (Aherlow); Louise Cadell (Templemore), Maria Curley (Templemore), Aine Dunne (Mullinahone); Grainne Condon (Aherlow), Aoife Corcoran (Cahir), Elaine Kelly (Cappawhite); Aishling Moloney (Cahir), Elaine Fitzpatrick (Templemore); Evrena Everard (Moyle Rovers), Roisin Howard (Cahir), Caoimhe Condon (Brian Borus); Orla O'Dwyer (Boherlahan), Niamh Treacy (Templemore), Aoibhe O'Shea (Mullinahone).
Scorers:- Roisin Howard 1-3, Orla O'Dwyer 1-3, Aishling Moloney 1-3, Aoibhe O'Shea 0-6 (3frees), Evrena Everard 0-1, Niamh Treacy 0-1, Megan Shanahan 0-1

MEDAL PRESENTATION
The Under 16 and Minor All Ireland winning teams from 2014 will be presented with their All Ireland medals in the Horse & Jockey Hotel on Saturday, April 4th at 8.00pm. Chairperson of Tipperary County Council, Councillor Michael Fitzgerald will be in attendance on the night.  A presentation of the Enda McDonnell Bursary Award will be made on the night to the recipient, Aoife Corcoran (Cahir) after she was selected from the applicants in a draw at the March County Board Meeting.

TIPPERARY POST PRIMARY BLITZ 
Rockwell College hosted the Tipperary Ladies Football Blitz last week with 13 teams competing in 32 matches. Loreto Clonmel, Ursuline Thurles, Presentation Thurles, Presentation Clonmel, Cashel Community School and St. Anne's Tipperary Town all competed in the A Competition. Cashel Community School B, Rockwell College, Ursuline Thurles B, Our Lady's Templemore A and B, St. Ailbe's Tipperary Town and Loreto Clonmel competed in the B Competition.

The A Competition provided some tough games in the early rounds with very little separating the teams. In the semi-finals the Ursuline Thurles defeated Loretto Clonmel while in the other semi-final the Presentation Thurles overcame St. Anne's Tipperary town after a point penalty shoot-out due to the teams finishing level at the end of normal time. The A Final, a local derby between two Thurles Secondary Schools saw the Presentation defeat the Ursuline.   Afterwards, the cup was presented to Presentation Thurles Captain, Marie Creedon by Tipperary Ladies Football Chairperson, Biddy Ryan.

In the B Competition Semi Finals, Rockwell College defeated Loreto Clonmel B while Templemore A secured a victory over Ursuline Thurles B. A very entertaining final followed only to see Rockwell College record their third victory in the B Competition. Biddy Ryan, Chairperson of Tipperary Ladies Football presented the cup to the Rockwell College Captain, Kate Barlow.

Thanks to Rockwell College for hosting this blitz and Tipperary Ladies Football look forward to their next Under 14 blitz on Thursday, May 14th.

HIGHER EDUCATION COMPETITIONS
Congratulations to Lorraine O'Shea, Mullinahone and Jennifer Grant, Brian Borus on their HEC All-Star nominations following their involvement in the Irish Examiner Ladies Football Higher Education Competitions.

Information concerning Ladies Football will appear in these notes. If you wish to include any item of interest, please contact us at [email protected] before 8pm on Sunday. Visit the Tipperary Ladies Football web site at www.tipperaryladiesfootball.ie to date with all the latest news in Tipperary Ladies Football.

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